Breakup Woes
by justlisten234
Summary: Tawni is devastated when Chad Dylan Cooper breaks up with her. When Sonny pays him a visit, she finds out why. Channy :


Breakup Woes

"I hate him, I _hate_ him, _I hate him_!" Tawni Hart ripped up the picture she was holding, of her and Chad Dylan Cooper at Lookout Mountain, with a vengeance. She then threw the pieces in her paper/fan mail shredder, reducing them to microscopic bits, stomped her foot a few times, pouting, and finally collapsed into full-out sobs, burying her face in her hands.

Sonny Munroe sighed from her perch in front of her dresser. The two girls were in the dressing room they shared, with Zora Lancaster probably in the vents above them. "Are you okay, Tawni?" She tried her best to sound sympathetic, but they could both sense a note of impatience in her voice.

"Do I _look_ like I'm okay?" Tawni wailed. "My heart has been broken, my eyes are red and puffy, my hair is a mess, and…" She peered into the large mirror on the wall. "…I'm not pretty!" She burst into tears again, the last part of her sentence appearing to contribute the most to her unhappiness.

Sonny walked over to the blonde girl and wrapped her up in a hug. Usually Tawni would have pulled away immediately, but this time she was crying too hard to even notice. "Shhh, it's okay," Sonny whispered, rubbing Tawni's back gently in an attempt to comfort her. Just then, there was a clattering sound as the air vent opened, and a very annoyed-looking Zora stuck her head out. "What she means to say is, _suck it up, woman_!" she yelled. "I don't know _how_ Sonny puts up with you and your incessant bawling. I haven't even been in the same room as you, and you're driving _me_ nuts!"

"Zora…" Sonny started to say, but the youngest _So Random! _cast member couldn't be stopped. Tawni's sobs increased in volume as Zora rambled on and on about how she needed to _get over_ Chad and get on with her life. Sonny just looked at the two girls for a moment, then got up and left the room quietly. Anywhere else would be better than her dressing room; she sensed that a round of hysterics were about to take place.

Sonny's thoughts started to drift as she meandered along down the hallway to a topic she had been hearing _a lot_ about lately. Chad Dylan Cooper had broken up with Tawni two weeks ago, after a short relationship, and ever since then, she had spent most of her free time moping around, emitting loud, dramatic sighs, and crying. A lot. Most people would have thrown in the towel and begged Marshall for a dressing room change a long time ago, but not Sonny. She refused to give up on Tawni, partly because she was a persistent person, but also because Tawni was her friend, even though things could get kind of awkward between them sometimes. And when her friends went through tough times, she always helped them however she could. Even if that meant sitting next to Tawni and handing her tissues while she recounted the breakup over and over again. Sonny did think her friend was being a little immature about everything, since she would have allowed herself to be sad for only a few days. But she was also a little surprised at how Chad had ended his relationship with Tawni. They were at a pretty fancy restaurant on a date, and he just basically sprang the news on her and walked out. Sure, Chad _was_ an egotistical, arrogant jerk most of the time, but she knew he was capable of being sweet and thoughtful when he wanted to…

Sonny suddenly realized that she was walking toward the exit of _So Random!_ Shrugging, she decided she might as well get some fresh air. Once she was outside, she glanced over at the _Mackenzie Falls_ studio, as if by reflex_. Maybe I could…No, Sonny! Don't you remember your promise? But…_Sonny sighed. She was having yet another internal dilemma concerning a blond actor named Chad Dylan Cooper. Although no one else knew it, she had had a crush on him ever since he had pretended to be Eric, her "first fan", during an episode of _So Random!_. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her, and the fact that Chad was the guy who did it surprised her, because she had thought previously that the only person he cared about was himself. In addition to saving her from humiliating herself on national television, he had also agreed to be her fake date to make James jealous and given her the one special dance every girl dreamed of after her prom, among other things, and all of that combined really made her fall for him. Sonny had kept her feelings to herself, though, because one, Chad didn't seem to like her back: he was pretty nice to her when he wasn't being a jerk, but he didn't talk to her a lot or make excuses to hang around her more, the way boys were supposed to when they liked you, or so Tawni claimed. And two, she didn't seem to be Chad's type: she had almost nothing in common with many of the girls Chad had dated that she knew of them were beautiful, glamorous actresses or models, and she was just a small-town girl from Wisconsin. Sonny knew that the best thing to do when you liked someone was to just tell them so, and she usually did, but somehow, things were different with Chad. She couldn't say it even when she tried to practice in her room at night. Besides, Sonny had a feeling that if she told him she liked him and he didn't feel the same way, she would never hear the end of it.

When Chad started dating Tawni, Sonny was crushed at first. Why couldn't he have chosen the other fifteen-year-old girl on _So Random! _to ask out, the one who, unlike Tawni, actually had a crush on him? But then she decided that it was no use lamenting over something that would probably never happen. Besides, she wanted to be supportive of her friend, and so she buried her feelings as deep down inside her as she could. When Chad and Tawni broke up (ironically, Tawni had started to like him by that point), Sonny secretly hoped for a few days that he would ask her out. But when he basically started acting as if the entire cast of _So Random!_ was nonexistent, her hopes came crashing back down again. She had been trying desperately to stop liking him since then, but pretty much failing miserably, like Tawni.

Now, here was a chance to see Chad again, see his sandy blond hair and sparkly blue eye and his annoying but cute smirk, hear the way he said her name…It would be violating her _modus operandi_, which was to not even think about him, big-time, but the idea was so tempting. The two sides battled for a moment, but her curiosity eventually got the better of her, and she decided to pay him a visit. She could use the excuse that she was coming to ask him about his side of the story on his breakup with Tawni, which she actually did want to hear. Taking a deep breath, and trying her best to ignore the voice inside her head that was screaming _No, Sonny! Noooo!_, she walked toward _Mackenzie Falls_. Finding the set empty, she decided to try Chad's dressing room. She was uncomfortably aware of how hard her heart was pounding as she bit her lip and knocked on his door.

-----

Chad Dylan Cooper was lounged in front of his dresser mirror, smiling at his reflection. To look at him, one would never have guessed that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend. Whereas Tawni was…well, a mess, Chad's hair was styled to perfection, his eyes were bright, and his grin was just the right size to appear natural. There was no trace of sadness whatsoever on his face. He looked just fine, and he was—thanks to a certain someone. In fact, it was this person that Chad was thinking about just as a knock sounded at his door.

"Come in," he called out lazily. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as Sonny Munroe stepped in, closing the door behind her. Chad had thought she would have given him the cold shoulder until he stopped ignoring the Randoms, but here she was, right in front of him. His eyes took in everything he loved about her: her chocolaty brown hair and the way it fell in soft waves below her shoulders, her shining brown eyes. But the wide grin that lit her face up, the feature he loved the most, wasn't in its usual place. As a matter of fact, she looked a little apprehensive, and he wondered why.

"Sonny. To what do I owe this unexpected visit? Oh, let me guess. Just coming to look at my amazingly gorgeous face?" Chad's trademark smirk was plastered across his face as he stood up to face her.

Sonny rolled her eyes. "No, Chad." _Even though your face _is_ gorgeous…Sonny! Don't think like that! _"Actually, I came to ask you about your breakup with Tawni."

Chad continued to smirk. "Did you, Sonny? Did you really?" When she glared at him, he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay…So? What do you want to know?"

"Why'd you break up with her?"

"Eh, I just got tired of going out with the same girl for too long. Chad Dylan Cooper has a reputation to maintain, you know." Chad pointed his finger, clicked his tongue, and winked at Sonny. He knew that the reason he had given her was mostly fake, and that there was another, much more important reason why he had dumped Tawni, but there was no way he was admitting it to anyone else.

Sonny gave him a disgusted look. "_Chad_! That's so insensitive! You shouldn't end a relationship with someone just because you want to keep up your so-called image!"

Chad stepped closer to her. "Really, Sonny? Really?"

Sonny nodded emphatically, trying to ignore the nervous, breathless feeling she always got around him. _Concentrate! You can't act weird or he might suspect something!_ "Yes, Chad. Really. And maybe you should think about how much you actually like a girl before you ask her out, so you don't break up with her after just a few weeks and leave her devastated, like you did to Tawni."

Chad looked amused. "I devastated her? _I_ did that to _Tawni Hart_?" He chuckled. "But hey, Chad Dylan Cooper _is_ an expert at breaking girls' hearts."

Sonny had had enough. "Ugh! You're impossible!" She yanked open the door to his dressing room and stormed outside, a tear slipping down her cheek against her will. Sonny swiped at it in frustration. What was wrong with her? She usually didn't let things get to her like this, and she would _not_ cry over _Chad Dylan Cooper_, of all people. But she knew that, despite her recent efforts, she still liked him just as much as before, and it hurt to see that he was still so obnoxious most of the time. Seeing as how he was occasionally sweet and thoughtful, Sonny had thought that maybe, just maybe, he had changed, but apparently that wasn't the case. And she definitely didn't want to date a boy who took pride in "breaking girls' hearts". Sonny sighed as she started her walk back to _So Random!_. _I know I have to forget about Chad…but how hard is it going to be?_

-----

Back in his dressing room, Chad groaned and smacked his hand to his forehead. _Chad, you idiot! Why did you let her get away—again? _He deliberated for a moment. _If I go after her, it might make me seem like a desperate loser…But she's _Sonny_…And anyways, Chad Dylan Cooper is _never_ a desperate loser. _With his mind made up, Chad marched resolutely out of his dressing room…to find the hallway outside empty. Realizing that Sonny had probably already headed back to _So Random!_, he took off at a sprint down the hall, hoping he could catch up with her before she went into her studio—he didn't particularly want to risk running into Tawni, for obvious reasons. Chad didn't even know why he was doing this, or what he was going to say to Sonny, but suddenly the success of his mission seemed like the most important thing in the world.

Shoving open the door of the _Mackenzie Falls_ set entrance, Chad spotted Sonny slowly making her way back over to her studio with her head down. "Sonny, wait!" he called out. She started to walk faster without even turning around. Summoning his last burst of energy, Chad finally grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Go away, Chad," Sonny mumbled. "I don't want to talk to you. Please."

Chad's mind was drawing a complete blank, and as a result, he just stood there, frozen like a statue. He didn't know what else to do. (That didn't happen very often, mind you.) _Just say something! Okay…Uh…_"I like you," Chad blurted out. _What?! Please tell me that I did not just say that out loud for the world to hear! I didn't mean it! Besides, girls fall for Chad Dylan Cooper, not the other way around! _Despite all his mind's immediate protests, however, there was a part of him that knew the words were completely and absolutely true as soon as they were out of his mouth.

Sonny turned to face him, a glimmer of hope shooting through her heart even as she fought against it. _Oh my gosh! He likes me back?! But…does he actually mean it?_ Her heart sank as she reminded herself that this was _Chad_ she was talking to. Chad, the smooth manipulator, the egotistical, arrogant jerk. He was probably just pulling out some of his acting tricks to use on her so he and the cast of _Mackenzie Falls_ could have a good laugh at her expense later. Well, Sonny Munroe was _not_ going to fall for it. "No way. You're lying, Chad. Did you really think I'd believe you?" she asked, even though she desperately wanted to.

Chad knew that this was the perfect chance to deny what he had said and save himself a lot of trouble—something that Chad Dylan Cooper never got into if he could help it. But the part of him that was able to confess that he did like her was warning him that if he lied about it now he would regret it. The truth was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know if Sonny liked him back, and it would be a waste of time if he told her everything and she didn't feel the same way. It might also make him look like a desperate loser, which would be a very bad thing. "Do _you_ like _me_?" he asked, stalling for time.

Sonny hesitated. This was the question that she had been dreading. She wanted to say no, because she knew that he probably didn't like her and was just playing around, but she was a terrible liar and was pretty sure Chad would see through her act. Sonny wanted to take a chance, but she was afraid of getting hurt. After some consideration, she decided to go with the truth—it made things easier, and even if it did all turn out to be a big joke and the cast of _Mackenzie Falls_ laughed at her and Chad let her down once again, she would survive. She always did. Sonny took a deep breath, bracing herself. "Yes."

_ Yes. Yes. Yes._ The word reverberated in Chad's head. He suddenly felt as if his insides were filled with air, like he could almost fly, and he was surprised to feel a genuine smile, not his usual smirk, make its way onto his face. Chad had never experienced this feeling before, but he knew that it was a good one. And that now, finally, was the time to tell Sonny everything. "Then I guess it's time for me to make my confession. Sonny, I really do like you, and I think I have ever since that time you beat me at musical chairs. You looked so triumphant and happy when you won…I knew right then that you were different. I had never met a girl like you before, a girl who didn't swoon over me because I was Chad Dylan Cooper, who wasn't affected by my fame at all, really. Well, except for our first meeting…" Sonny blushed, remembering how starstruck she'd been. Chad winked at her, thinking how cute she was when she blushed—when she did pretty much anything, actually—and continued with his story. He hadn't even thought it was possible for him to open up so much to anyone, but somehow, the words just kept coming, propelled by an unknown force. "The fact that you were able to be true to yourself and not change—in Hollywood, of all places—intrigued me. It's one of the many things I like about you." Chad paused for a moment. "I liked you all along, Sonny; I just didn't want to admit it. I didn't think it was possible for Chad Dylan Cooper, America's Teen Heartthrob, to fall for Sonny Munroe, the new girl from Wisconsin. I dated all of those other girls in an attempt to convince myself otherwise, but I didn't like any of them as more than friends. I wanted to be nicer to you, but whenever I saw you I think I acted kind of like a jerk almost automatically, even though I tried not to. After I broke up with Tawni, I started ignoring you Randoms to give her a chance to calm down, but I wished that I didn't have to ignore you. I know I should have asked you out a long time ago, and I'm sorry I didn't."

Sonny was shocked. She had expected Chad to burst out laughing and start making fun of her, but she got an answer she had only dreamed about instead. "I can't believe you really like me," she said in disbelief, looking down at the ground almost shyly. "I thought it was impossible that you would feel the same way."

Chad shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Oh, come on, Sonny." He tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him. "You're an incredible girl. Really. And don't forget it," he said in a soft voice.

Sonny was finding it hard to think. Her head was spinning, trying to process everything Chad had told her. "Thanks…Wow. I didn't know you could be so nice, Chad," she finally managed to say.

He shrugged. "I have my moments. And I do have a nice side, I just choose not to show it most of the time." Then he grinned. (This smiling thing must be contagious or something!) "So…pick you up at eight tomorrow night? We could go to the arcade, on a real date this time."

Sonny giggled. "Sure, Chad, I'd love to." Then she suddenly remembered about someone who would probably not be very happy to discover the newest couple of Studio 11. "Wait, make that a maybe. If Tawni's not okay with us dating, I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you."

Chad sighed. _She's loyal to her friends…another thing I like about her, but I don't know if Tawni will agree._ "Do you want to go ask her now?"

Sonny nodded. "I'll meet you back out here." Chad watched as she disappeared into her studio.

-----

Sonny's mind bubbled with anxious thoughts as she traveled through the familiar halls of _So Random!_. _What will Tawni say? How about Nico, Grady, and Zora? And if Tawni's not okay with it, will Chad and I ever get to date?_ Arriving at the prop house, Sonny peeked inside. She could see Tawni sitting at a table, examining her nails with a bored expression, Nico Harris and Grady Mitchell making another fortress of cards (with very nervous expressions), and she thought she could hear Zora muttering in her sarcophagus. _Well, here goes nothing… _

"Hey, Sonny!" Grady greeted her with a smile as she walked in. Then he turned to Nico, irritated. "Well, it would make it easier for me if you didn't keep saying, 'E-e-e-e-easy, G, e-e-e-e-easy!' every time I try to put a card on!"

Nico looked hurt. "I'm just trying to make sure you're being careful…" But he stopped his warnings, and the prop house was suddenly quiet.

Sonny took a deep breath. _Okay, it's now or never…_"Um, Tawni? I have a question to ask you…"

"Yeah?" Tawni replied without looking up.

"DoyoumindifChadandIdate?" Sonny asked, her words rushing together. She always talked faster when she was nervous.

The sarcophagus door flew open at an amazingly high speed as Zora jumped out. "Aha! I knew it!" she yelled, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Knew what?" Grady asked. He, Nico, and Tawni were looking at Sonny in confusion.

"That Sonny and Chad liked each other and they were going to go out sometime!" Zora rolled her eyes. "It's so obvious—"

Tawni gasped. "_What?!_ But Chad was _my_ boyfriend!"

Nico added, "Uh, Sonny, not to be mean or anything, but it was bad enough that Tawni went out with Chad Pooper Pants. Now you have to too?" Grady nodded in agreement.

Zora shrugged. "If you guys paid any attention to what goes on around you, you would have seen it too."

Sonny sighed. It looked like none of her castmates were taking her news very well, except maybe Zora, but then again, you never really knew with her. "So I'll take that as a no, Tawni?"

The blonde girl just pouted. "Yep, that's a no," Sonny confirmed. _Well, I tried, but I think Chad's going to be disappointed…_She was heading back outside when she heard a voice.

"Not so fast." Chad Dylan Cooper strode into the prop house. He had followed Sonny into her studio, knowing that she would just accept it if Tawni said no, that she wouldn't try to persuade her to change her mind. That was what Chad had come to do. He had let Sonny get away too many times before, but this time, he was determined to fight for the girl he liked.

"Chad?" Sonny looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?" _I thought he was going to stay outside…that was actually probably a better idea; I don't think Nico, Grady, Tawni, and Zora like him very much…_

"You!" Tawni shrieked. She picked up a tube of lip gloss on a nearby table and threw it at him. Chad ducked. "Hey, watch it. This is a custom-made _Mackenzie Falls_ uniform, you know." Tawni glared at him.

Nico, Grady, and Zora didn't look too pleased either. "What do you want, Chad Pooper Pants?" Grady demanded.

"I want to go out with Sonny, but Tawni has to agree first. And by the way, it's _Chad Dylan Cooper_, in case you didn't know."

"It would mean a lot to me if you guys were okay with it too," Sonny chipped in, addressing her other three castmates.

Zora raised an eyebrow at Chad. "Why should we let you go out with her? How do we know you won't dump her after a few days? And you guys over at 'The Falls'"—she made mocking air-quotes—"have been nothing but mean to us since our shows started. That doesn't help."

"Well, you guys haven't been all that nice to us, either," Chad shot back, defensive. Zora looked like she was preparing to really go at it with him. "Oh, let's see. How have you people treated us? You tried to take away our parking space and prop house, you glued us to our seats—"

"And you glued me to the floor and window and dumped elephant manure in my car!" Chad interrupted angrily. Nico and Grady burst out laughing. "Oh, that prank was _priceless_! Nice job, Z!" They exchanged high-fives with Zora while Chad glowered at them.

Sonny decided to step in. "Okay, okay. We all admit that we haven't been the best of friends, so why don't we change that and try to be nicer to each other?" Chad and Zora continued to shoot dirty looks at each other. "Come on, you guys. Please?"

"Fine," they mumbled. Then Zora turned to face Chad again, challenging him. "But how do we know you won't just dump Sonny?"

"Yeah, and break her heart so badly that she'll want to start wearing polyester pants!" Tawni looked straight at her ex-boyfriend. "Why did you even ask me out, Chad?"

He shrugged a little helplessly. "I don't know. I guess I shouldn't have, because I didn't really like you. It wasn't fair to you, Tawni…and I'm sorry. But you guys, I really do like Sonny a lot, though, and I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a chance with her." Even though Chad Dylan Cooper didn't beg, it sure sounded like he was doing just that with Sonny's castmates. But hey, he'd come this far for her already; he might as well go all the way.

Nico and Grady looked at each other, some silent message evidently passing between them. Nico spoke up. "Okay, we'll let you date her. _But_ if you hurt her in any way…we're coming after you." They crossed their arms and tried to look threatening.

"Same goes for me. I'll show you claws if Sonny ends up the way Tawni did." Zora shuddered at the thought of having another moping, crying girl around, although she doubted Sonny would take a breakup quite as badly.

Tawni pursed her lips. "I'll think about it."

Chad considered this. "Would a present help?"

Tawni's eyes lit up, but she replied nonchalantly, "Maybe. I want a new tube of Cocoa Moco Cocoa lip gloss."

"I'm on it."

"Then yes. And I accept your apology." Tawni smiled, her first real one since her breakup with Chad.

"Oh, and one more thing. Could you two please not engage in too many public displays of affection?" Zora put her hands on her hips and cocked her head, smiling slyly.

"Zora!" Sonny protested, feeling her face heat up. Chad shrugged innocently. "Well, I can't make any promises…"

"Chad!" Sonny blushed even harder. But he just grinned. "Thanks, everyone," he told Sonny's castmates as he tugged her out of the prop house.

"That was embarrassing, you know," Sonny grumbled when they were back outside.

Chad gave her a knowing look. "Are you saying you don't want me to kiss you?"

Sonny actually would have liked it very much, but she wasn't about to tell Chad that. Also, the thought that she might be about to get her first kiss from Chad was making her nervous, so she tried to change the subject. "Uh, well, it was really nice of you to apologize to Tawni and offer to get her a present. When are you going to buy it? I know this store at the mall that has really great lip gloss…" Sonny also tended to ramble about random things when she was nervous.

Chad put a finger on her lips, sending a tingle down her spine. "Shhh, time for talking's over." As his face moved closer her heart pounded and she felt slightly dizzy, but she closed her eyes and in a moment she felt Chad's lips on hers in a light, sweet kiss. It was perfect.

The two pulled apart, grinning like fools. "So, did you like it?" Chad asked.

Sonny couldn't help but tell him the truth as she looked into his clear, mesmerizing, sky-blue eyes. "Very much." She didn't know what would end up happening between her and Chad. There were no guarantees. But she knew this much: she was ready to take a chance on love. And she knew that Chad felt the same way.


End file.
